Assessor Ting stumps for … the environment

San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, who is running for re-election and contemplating a run for mayor, took a break from his more traditional duties of keeping track of property values and transactions Friday and weighed in on … an eco-friendly alternative to dry cleaning.

The Chronicle

Was the suit Phil Ting wore in this photo wet-cleaned or dry-cleaned?

He held a mid-morning press conference, and his City Hall spokeswoman sent out an official press release, to promote ”wet cleaning,” a method that could be used by dry cleaners forced to comply with the pending enactment of a new state law that will ban the use of a toxic solvent now in wide use.

Ting’s spokeswoman, Archana Sahgal, explained her boss’ involvement in an issue that could be considered unorthodox for the city’s top records’ keeper.

”As you may know, Phil is a trusted leader in the Asian American community and many of the dry cleaners impacted by the new state law are Asian American,” she said. ”We were asked to do education/outreach around this important issue. Additionally, Phil has been a stalwart leader on green issues in San Francisco.”